What will they think of NEXT

‘WITCH’ TAKES BROOM TO NANNA STATE TAUNTS

Josephine Tovey URBAN AFFAIRS

November 8, 2010

THE City of Sydney council is preparing to hit back against a secretive campaign by venue owners in Sydney against plans to clamp down on violent pubs and clubs, which depicts the lord mayor, Clover Moore, as a witch who is trying to ”close Sydney”.

The council has received thousands of letters of complaint via a website, www.nannastate.com.au, protesting against proposed changes to the city’s late night trading rules. It comes after the Today FM radio show host Kyle Sandilands, who also owns a stake in several Sydney bars, said last month that he wanted to ”get rid of” Cr Moore.

”I’ll get rid of that woman, you watch. Eighty-year-old woman trying to run the town. Go to the retirement village, you old clown,” Sandilands said on his program.

The website depicts Cr Moore as a fairy tale-style witch, complete with green skin and a pointed hat, and shows Sydney icons such as Centrepoint Tower being swallowed by vines.

It tells visitors: ”If you don’t take a stand now, one by one, the City of Sydney is going to turn off the lights on Sydney’s late night scene and its night-time economy.”

The Herald understands it is being run by a group of venue promoters and owners although no one will put their name to it.

The web address is being distributed via social networking sites such as Facebook and through the street and music press, and has already generated more than 2000 emails to the council.

The amendment to the Late Night Trading Premises Development Control Plan 2007 being considered by the council includes the power to make some venues subject to ”reviewable conditions”, meaning council could restrict their capacity and trading hours if a review found the venue was being poorly managed.

In response to the campaign and widespread opposition to the changes among licensees and publicans, the council is sending letters to industry members and distributing posters.

”The [development control plan] is about rewarding well-managed establishments whilst in the worst instances, withdrawing extended trading privileges from those who do not deserve to have them,” the letter reads. ”A small minority of poorly run premises contribute to alcohol-related violence and give the industry a bad name.”

The anti-council campaign is similar to another secretive campaign waged by the industry early last year called ”2am Sydney Closed” against the development control plan, which was being drafted at the time.

The ”nanna state” website is registered to an individual named George Mihailovski, who did not respond to requests for comment. The Australian Hotels Association said it was not involved in the campaign.

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/restaurants-and-bars/witch-takes-broom-to-nanna-state-taunts-20101107-17j1b.html

Tiffany Watson’s Thought

We live in a time these days where you can’t make your own decision, we seem to have so much control being put onto us for a democratic society. I have heard the stories of my Grandfathers (who was a well respected man) day and my fathers day. Most of the things they got up I am sure they would have been thrown in jail these days for. You know what though, they came out of it and no one was hurt. People need to take responsiblity for themselves, it they don’t want to be in a pub thats a little rough then leave go somewhere else. We all know where the local rough pubs are. Do I go to them, NO. You know why, because I don’t want to be apart of that crowd.

If you let Sydney start changing the rules and making it even harder for people to stay open they won’t stop. It will then spread to the rest of Australia. We are a country that has pubs everywhere, every true Aussie loves to have a schooner at the pub at least every now and again. I don’t want to be told that I can’t go and have a beer at 3am if I so choose to. Most sensible people actually have lifts (home) organised in some way shape or form.

I would love to hear other people’s thought and comments.

Jobs Jobs Jobs

JOB ADS INCREASE WITH WAGES TO FOLLOW

8/11/2010 7:59:01 AM

The number of full-time job advertisements rose in October and wage growth is set to follow, a survey shows.

The Advantage job index posted its third consecutive month of growth in October, with total job advertisements increasing 2.02 per cent.

Full-time job ads rose 0.8 per cent in October and were 39 per cent up on the same month a year ago.

In the 12 months to October, Western Australia continued to benefit from the mining boom, with a 49.50 per cent increase in job advertisements.

It was followed by Victoria, up 34.93 per cent, and NSW, up 31.79 per cent.

Advantage said the jobs increase showed business confidence was improving and wage pressures were emerging.

“As interest rates and the cost of living rises, employees expect higher wages leading to salary-based inflationary pressures,” Advantage director of global market intelligence Bob Oliver said in a statement.

“In an already tight labour market, employers will be forced to offer greater incentives to attract and retain the best employees.”

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) raised the cash rate on Tuesday in a pre-emptive strike on expected inflationary increases.

The 25 basis point rise to 4.75 per cent was the first time since May that the central bank has raised the cash rate.

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has been the only major bank so far to lift rates in response.

However, the CBA raised its variable mortgage interest rate by 45 basis points – almost double the RBA’s official increase – sparking community and government outrage.

Mr Oliver said the rate increases may lead to employees seeking bigger pay packets before Christmas.

The Advantage index showed the sector with the biggest gains in job ads was accounting, up 6.28 per cent in October.

This was followed by engineering, up 5.35 per cent, and advertising and media, up 3.71 per cent.

Human resources, with a fall of 2.87 per cent, and the legal sector, down 2.78 per cent, were the worst performing sectors.

On a state by state basis in October, the Australian Capital Territory was the best performer, with an increase of 8.36 per cent, boosted by a surge in information technology jobs since the federal election.

Tiffany Watson’s Thought

This is at least a great start to our economy stabling. I do hope that it continues. The only thing that I would like to say is employers should be give new graduates more of a chance, how can they gain experience if no one offers them a chance. Many of these graduates are actually really keen to start their careers. They aren’t all young and dumb.

Pink says parents should beat their children

by Georgina Robinson

American pop star Pink has declared that parents should be able to "beat the crap" out of their children.

The 31-year-old told celebrity news site Access Hollywood that political correctness had gone too far and her own father's beatings saved her life.

"I think parents need to beat the crap out of their kids," Pink, whose real name is Alicia Moore, said.

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"I think the whole spanking thing and how it's all gotten PC is just for the birds."

When asked whether her father, a Vietnam veteran, "spanked" her, Pink replied: "Oh he put me through a wall, it's the only reason I'm still here, it's the only reason I'm still alive."

The singer's parents divorced when she was seven-years-old.

By nine, Pink says she was smoking, and in her early teens she was regularly taking the drugs LSD and ecstasy.

Pink says she was thrown out of home at 15.

"I deserved it, I would have kicked me out when I was eight," she said.

"I was not comfortable with authority or rules, I was bad."

The Grammy winner, whose debut album sold five million copies worldwide and included an Australian number one hit, has been critical of younger pop stars.

Her 2006 hit single Stupid Girls parodied the likes of Jessica Simpson, Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, who gained notoriety through high-profile partying and constant run-ins with the law.

"It went from being really funny to really sad," Pink said.

"It went from just partying and maybe hitting a person or two in a car to having a real problem and I don't think that's funny because I've lost a lot of friends."

Pink said she did all the "crashing and burning" early.

"I got that out of the way, and thank God because I didn't have to do what poor Lindsay Lohan is doing or any of the others, where everyone was watching me screw up," she said.

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/people/pink-says-parents-should-beat-their-children-20101104-17efc.html

Tiffany Watson's Thought
Paige and Byron are our two children and they are generally good kids, you know why we smack them, take things away and smack them again. If they argue and I don't know who is at fault they both get smacks. I completely agree with Pink. Yes I know there are people out there that are the small minority and they make trouble for everyone else. If I have a child in a supermarket being a right royal pain, I should be able to smack without feeling worried about people accusing me of being a bad mother. Ask anyone who knows my children and they will tell you that they are out there, active, polite children.

I would prefer to smack my children and go to jail, than not smack them and they go to jail later.

Surfing chief unsure if Irons took drugs

The head of world surfing Brodie Carr was aware that Andy Irons had “inner demons” but says he knew nothing about drug taking.

The three-time surfing world champion passed away on Tuesday in Dallas and police are investigating whether he died of a methadone overdose.

Irons was honoured on Wednesday morning at Middles Beach in the Puerto Rican area of Aguadilla, where the Rip Curl Pro Search event is currently being held.

The world’s best surfers and hundreds of friends and support staff paddled out into the ocean, joined hands in a large circle and left flowers as tribute to someone who was described as a “tribesman” and “brother” to those on tour.

The 32-year-old, regarded as one of the greatest surfers in history, had admitted previously that he had fought inner demons and that if it wasn’t for surfing he might self-destruct.

Irons took a career break for the 2009 tour to sort through his personal issues, which rumour has suggested were related to drugs.

Carr, chief executive of the Association of Surfing Professionals, acknowledged he’d heard the speculation surrounding Irons’ past personal battles, but said he wasn’t sure if they involved drug use.

According to Carr, Irons had reached a “good place” after his time off, and had returned to the tour in 2010 as winner of the August Billabong Pro in Tahiti and was excited for the imminent birth of his first child.

“I read the reports from Hawaii and I think we might be jumping into unknown areas. Let’s wait and see what the autopsy says and out of respect to Andy I don’t really care how we passed, it’s tragic for us,” Carr said.

“He came out and said he had a lot of inner demons and he battled some things.

“I don’t know if Andy took drugs, but he was in a good place.

“He came out and he won Tahiti and he was in a good place and it was good to see him back on tour and back with his friends and with his family and I don’t want to jump into hypotheticals.”

Officials in Dallas said the cause of Irons’ sudden passing was not immediately known but Hawaii’s Star Advertiser reported that his death was being investigated as a possible overdose of methadone, citing information provided by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.

The Star Advertiser reported that methadone was found inside a container of prescription drugs called zolpidem, commonly used for insomnia, while methadone is a powerful controlled substance used for pain. The container, as well as numerous other medications, was found on a night stand, the medical examiner said.

Employees at the Grand Hyatt Hotel at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, reportedly found the Hawaiian’s body and called airport police on Tuesday.

Irons had checked into the hotel after withdrawing from the Rip Curl Pro days earlier due to severe illness.

Tiffany Watson’s Thought

OK so this type of thing really annoys me. This is someone who worked hard at his sport. So what if he took time off. Could the reason be just something so simple as he needed a break. What proof does anyone have that it was drugs. The other question is what drugs if there was any.

When I was swimming and yes I swam on average 12klms per day plus other excerise so I know what it takes to be good at a sport, I had to take time out for a three month period because of my health. By the way no it had nothing to do with drugs. I am looking forward to the day if it ever happens when the media stops making this crap up and starts to actually do real journalism.

SOME LIGHT HUMOUR

CAT ATTACK HALTS NZ PASSENGER TRAIN

A Wellington-bound train was delayed after a cat snuck onboard and scratched the driver so badly a replacement had to be brought in.

The grey short-haired male cat was discovered in a closed carriage of the Masterton to Wellington service last week, The Wairarapa Times Age reported.

KiwiRail marketing and communications manager Nigel Parry said the train manager tried to catch the cat, but he was scratched so severely he required medical attention and a replacement driver was brought in.

“It’s very unusual indeed, in fact when I spoke to the train manager after his hand had been bandaged up, he said he had been working in trains for four decades and it was first time he has been attacked by a cat,” he said.

The cat was thought to have boarded the train in the Wairarapa, and was found in Wellington.

“We have no intention to charge a fare and we are obviously appealing for the owner to contact the Wellington SPCA for its return. We can also assure we won’t be charging the owner a fare.”

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/8118335/cat-attack-halts-nz-passenger-train

Tiffany Watson’s Thoughts

Well I hope that the gentleman who was hurt is ok. I also hope that the cat, which would have been scared finds it’s way home.

Dynamic Accounting Solutions

http://www.dasolutions.com.au/

Government, opposition put pressure on 'greedy' banks

BANKS, RBA, GOVERNMENT

Australia’s banks might be starting to feel the pressure as both the government and opposition look at ways to rein in the power of the so-called big four.

This morning opposition treasury spokesman Joe Hockey says he will introduce legislation in federal parliament to reform the Australian banking system.

Mr Hockey has told Fairfax Radio the coalition later on Thursday will announce moves to introduce legislation to give the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) the power to investigate price collusion among the big banks.

It comes after the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) raised standard variable mortgage rates on Tuesday by 45 basis points, almost double the Reserve Bank’s 25 basis point increase in the cash rate.

Westpac, NAB and ANZ have yet to announce their intentions but previously have flagged increases above official rate movements.

“We are going to get on with the job that the government doesn’t want to do,” Mr Hockey said.

“Australians are now at the point where the opposition is doing the job that they would have expected of their government.”

The Coalition had already flagged it wanted the ACCC to be able to tackle price signalling, Mr Hockey said.

“The legislation has to be right,” he said.

“But given that the government has huffed and puffed about this issue and done nothing, we will get on with the job of doing something for the Australian people.

“We would rather do it co-operatively with the government but quite frankly they are more interested in playing politics than they are in delivering a more competitive banking system.”

Yesterday the federal Treasurer Wayne Swan says a reform package aimed at improving competition in the banking sector will put pressure on the major banks to better behave.

The government is looking at banning exit fees, which can sometimes cost more than $1000.

“There’s a culture of arrogance among the banks,” he told ABC Radio on Wednesday.

Mr Swan says the government has been working on a reform package with regulators.

“It will put pressure on the major banks to behave in a better way,” he told ABC Radio on Wednesday.

Consumer group Choice is also calling for bank customers to be able to switch lenders without paperwork hassles, while still keeping their account numbers.

http://money.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8118302

Tiffany Watson’s thoughts

The RBA, Government and the banks are all the same as far as I am concerned. When was the last time one of the RBA members stepped off there high paying position (which I don’t mind them having) and actually opened up their eyes to see what the majority of Australian’s are actually doing, earning and the way they are struggling.

Due to the fact that we deal with many Australian’s in business, we know they suffer from this continual interest rate rises. Just when they think about employing someone or when they are just about to start getting ahead the interest rate goes up. I wouldn’t mind so much if it was actually founded on the majority of people in Australia.

The government doesn’t do anything and this is a topic that comes to light every time something like this happens. I am sick and tired of hearing all the “we will do something”. Now come on how many time have we heard politicians actually say that yet nothing comes of it. As for the banks, well they are owned by the general public so good luck with stopping them. The share holders want their money and I can’t blame them. If you invest you want a return. This does not mean that I agree with the money hungry banks.

Everyone has to remember that all of this interest rate rising etc all comes back to the simple thing called control. Most of these people are economists that are making these decisions, however they are forgetting the basic rule in economics. The market always finds it’s own equilibrium. SO LET IT FIND IT’S OWN EQUILIBRIUM.

Welcome to the Labour government. High interest rates, spending too much money that’s not there.

Some great people to deal with.

We have just had our windscreen fixed and our air-conditioner in the house fixed today. The guys we had are local people running a local business. We always try where ever we can to give these sorts of businesses our work. When a local business that isn't a huge one comes and does a great job I like to let everyone know. Most of the time you also end up with better customer service as well.

Evolution Autoglass was recommended by my parents who own Panorama Patios

http://panoramapatios.com.au/ they had previously required their windscreen to be replaced and found these guys to be great. So I called as our Ute needed the windscreen replaced after we left a crack from a rock for too long and it started to crawl into a large crack. These guys are a husband and wife team and have had many years experience and I don't think you could come across nicer people.

Then later today we had the air-conditioner guys out to fix our air-conditioner in the house. Dreading that I would have to replace the whole system. You know that feeling when you think oh no this might cost me more than it's worth. Well we did think that it might have only been the gas however nope that was fine, actually we were told that it's more than full enough. Then the opening of the system started, freaking out a little that it's not going to happen under $300 I waited for the verdict. What came back was the capacitor had gone. So off they went to collect one from the warehouse and back again. They had it running well again in no time. Again this is a family run business like so many here in Australia. Rob Watts Electrical & Air Conditioning http://robwatts.com.au/ It didn't cost me my right arm and leg, I am going to be nice and cool for the summer.